FedEx Express, Nissan to Test e-NV200 in D.C.

These field tests will be the first time the electric compact cargo vehicle will be running in North American; the two companies have conducted tests in Japan, Singapore, Brazil, and the UK.

Jan 23, 2014

FedEx Express and Nissan will conduct field tests of the Nissan e-NV200, a 100 percent electric compact cargo vehicle, in Washington, D.C., the companies announced Jan. 22 at the Washington Auto Show. They previously conducted such tests in Japan, Singapore, Brazil, and the UK, but the e-NV200 hasn't been driven in North America before, according to Nissan.

FedEx will subject the vehicle to the routine requirements of a delivery vehicle. "The results will be used to help determine the viability of using an electric vehicle in this role in the U.S. Nissan e-NV200 is scheduled to begin mass production later this year in Europe," Nissan's release stated.

"As a global fleet operator serving 220 countries and territories worldwide, FedEx is committed to improving the efficiency of its vehicles as part of our EarthSmart initiatives," said Mitch Jackson, vice president of Environmental Affairs and Sustainability for FedEx Corporation. "We are pleased to continue our work with Nissan and bring the e-NV200 into test in North America."

"We're eager to work with FedEx and other companies to put the e-NV200 through its paces to continue to build awareness of the capability of electric vehicles and to evaluate how well it meets the needs of the commercial consumer," said Erik Gottfried, Nissan's director of Electric Vehicle Sales and Marketing. "We'd also like to explore clever uses of EVs in work environments where carbon emissions of gas-powered vehicles make them impractical or impossible to use."

It is Nissan's second all-electric vehicle, following the LEAF.

FedEx Express has 167 electric vehicles and 365 hybrid electric vehicles in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and China, including units that will be deployed in Brazil starting in January, according to the release.